Statue of Liberty Ellis Island with Pre-Ferry Tour
Description
Start your adventure with a 30-minute guided tour of historic Battery Park, where your expert guide will also give you insider tips on making the most of your visit to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. With priority boarding, skip the long lines and enjoy a scenic ferry ride. At Liberty Island, explore at your own pace with a multilingual audio guide. Learn about Lady Liberty’s history and visit the new Statue of Liberty Museum. Next, take the ferry to Ellis Island, the gateway for millions of immigrants. Walk in their footsteps and hear their stories with a self-guided audio tour of the Immigration Museum. 40% of Americans can trace their roots to Ellis Island! Upgrade to a fully guided tour for a more immersive experience. Your expert guide will bring the history of Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty to life. Make your trip to New York unforgettable with this iconic experience.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Guided tour of Battery Park & historic Castle Clinton, along with orientation to make the most of your time on Ellis Island - especially if choosing the option with Self-Guided Audio Tours. This portion of the day is with English speaking guide.
Go through TSA and board the ferry to Liberty Island. If the pre-ferry tour option was chosen, you pick up your multilingual audio guide for Liberty Island at the kiosk once you get off the ferry & spend time touring the island with the audio guide. If the guided tour was chosen, the guide will give you a guided tour of the island in English, show you the best spots to take photos of the Statue of Liberty and give you some free time to explore.
Take close-up photos of the Statue of Liberty and learn about its history. (Paid Admission is for Liberty Island - not access to the crown or pedestal)
Visit the new Statue of Liberty Museum which holds the original torch and learn more about the building of the monument and its history. On the Guided Tour - this portion is self-guided as guided tours are not allowed in the Museum.
Take the ferry to Ellis Island and enjoy the grounds of Ellis Island and visit the Wall of Hero's. Look to see if you can discover your families name. This portion is guided on the guided tour.
Spend time at the Museum and visit the massive Great Hall where immigrants were processed. If the pre-ferry tour option was chosen, you pick up your Multilingual Audio Guide for the Museum as you enter the Museum. If the guided tour was chosen, your guide cannot go inside the Museum with you, but will brief you on where to go once inside.
Take the ferry back from Ellis Island to Battery Park. On the way enjoy panoramic views of New York Harbor including the Manhattan Skyline and the Freedom Tower - the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Audio tours are available in English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, Hindi, Korean, Russian and Arabic.
- Family friendly audio tours designed for children ages 6-10 are also available in the same languages.
- A mandatory airport grade security screening is conducted prior to boarding the ferry. This means no alcohol, weapons or large bags are allowed.
- Depending on the queues, and time of year, any tour departing from 1pm onwards may not make it to Ellis Island before it closes for the day,
- Minors (17 or under) must be accompanied by an adult (25+)
- Due to local regulations, the Statue of Liberty Museum, Ellis Island, and the Ellis Island Immigration Museum may not be open on the date of your visit
- February 2025 – Due to construction, priority boarding is temporarily suspended
- If there are only a few French-speaking or Spanish-speaking guests on the tour, you will be in a tour group with English speakers as well, and will have a bi-lingual guide who will give commentary in either both French and English, or both English and Spanish
Reviews(28)
Due to a Tickertape parade in NY I was unable to make it to the pickup spot. No transport available. I called and and was told to explain my situation and I would get a refund. I did as ask and was denied refund or credit. No consideration for circumstances out of my control.
Just only a ferry ride and walk to the place of ferry and around the attractions Statue of Liberty and Ellis island.
Thank you for sharing your feedback. We’re glad you had the opportunity to visit iconic landmarks like the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Our pre-ferry tour is designed to provide guests with guidance and historical information before boarding, while also allowing free time to explore the attractions at their own pace. We appreciate your comments, as they help us better communicate the tour experience to future guests. Thank you again for choosing to tour with us!
Martin was amazing! Very personable and knowledgeable. Took us right where we needed to be. Everything was nice, orderly and easy!
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We’re thrilled to hear you had a great experience on our Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island Pre-Ferry Tour. Martin will be especially happy to know his knowledge, personality, and guidance made your visit smooth and enjoyable. We always aim to make the experience easy, organized, and memorable from start to finish. We truly appreciate you taking the time to share your feedback and hope to welcome you back again on another NYC adventure soon!
Gale very nice person. The tours were National Parks. We did. not know why we needed Viator tours. Which we love the tour company and have used over the years. But this one left us bewildered.
Thank you for your feedback and for being a longtime Viator customer—we truly appreciate it. We’re glad to hear you found Gale to be very nice and enjoyed the National Park experience. We understand, however, that the structure of this particular tour may have felt a bit unclear or different from what you expected. This experience is designed to provide guaranteed access to sold-out tickets, along with a roundtrip ferry, a 30-minute orientation, and a self-guided audio tour so guests can explore the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island at their own pace. The orientation is meant to help set context and make the most of your visit, even though the main experience itself is self-guided within the National Park. We appreciate your honest feedback and will use it to better clarify the tour format for future guests. Thank you again for choosing us!
A wonderful 3.5-hour Viator tour that was both enriching and enjoyable. Our guide-the tall Martin was exceptionally knowledgeable, bringing history to life with engaging stories, thoughtful insights, and a genuine passion for the city. Every stop—from the Statue of Liberty views to the Manhattan skyline and historic landmarks—felt meaningful and well-paced. What made the experience even more special was the group itself—warm, curious, and respectful fellow travelers who added great energy and conversations throughout. It felt less like a tour and more like a shared journey. Highly recommended for anyone looking to explore with depth, comfort, and great company.
Thank you for such a thoughtful and detailed review! We’re thrilled to hear that you had such an enriching and enjoyable experience. It’s wonderful to know that Martin’s knowledge, storytelling, and passion helped bring the history to life in a meaningful way. We’re also glad the pacing and group atmosphere made the tour feel like a shared journey—that’s exactly the kind of experience we strive to create. We truly appreciate your recommendation and hope to welcome you back for another memorable tour soon!
I think it's really set up nice. I do believe that people should know that you don't get to actually go in the Statue unless you have special tickets. Alos, that there is very limited seating on the Ferry.
Thank you for your thoughtful review! We’re very happy to hear that you found the experience well organized and enjoyable. We also appreciate you sharing those helpful notes for future visitors regarding access inside the Statue and the seating on the ferry. Feedback like yours is valuable and helps other guests plan their visit even better. Thank you again for sharing your experience, and we hope you had a wonderful time overall!
The guide only took us from the meeting point to the ferry, about 300 meters. It is therefore not worth booking here, as you pay twice the actual ticket price.
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We're sorry to hear that the tour did not meet your expectations. Our Pre-Ferry Tour is designed to provide guests with a guided introduction to Battery Park, assistance through the boarding process, historical background about the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, and support navigating what can often be a very busy departure area. We understand that travelers looking only for ferry tickets may perceive less value in a guided experience. However, many guests appreciate the convenience, historical insights, and local expertise that our guides provide before they begin their self-guided exploration of the islands. We appreciate your comments and will continue working to ensure that the tour description clearly communicates what is included so guests can choose the experience that best suits their interests. Thank you again for your feedback, and we wish you all the best on your future travels.
As indicated, I arrived on the scene for more than fifteen minutes, there was nothing to indicate that I was in the right place. So I went round and round and panicked. Breffff, better organization and coordination would be better.
Thank you for sharing your feedback. We sincerely apologize for the stress and confusion you experienced before the tour. We understand how frustrating it can be to arrive early and still feel uncertain about the meeting location. Your comments are valuable, and we will review our meeting point instructions and check-in procedures to ensure they are as clear and easy to follow as possible for future guests. We're sorry that this initial experience caused unnecessary anxiety and did not meet your expectations. We appreciate you bringing this to our attention, as guest feedback helps us improve our organization and coordination. Thank you for joining us, and we hope to have the opportunity to provide you with a smoother experience in the future.
Amazing experience!!! The guides were very punctual and organized. Our guide Leanne , went above and beyond my expectations. She is very knowledgeable of the history behind the tourist attractions ( The Statue of liberty and Ellis island) . She is very kind and prompt to help through the whole tour .
Thank you for sharing your experience! We're delighted to hear that you had an amazing time on our Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island tour. Providing a smooth, organized, and memorable experience is what we strive for, and we're thrilled that our team delivered on that promise. Leanne will be especially pleased to hear your kind comments. Her passion for New York City's history and her dedication to every guest truly make a difference. We're glad her knowledge of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, along with her attentive and helpful approach, helped make your visit so enjoyable. For future guests, this tour is a great way to gain a deeper understanding of two of America's most iconic landmarks while enjoying the convenience of a guided experience that takes the stress out of navigating the ferry process and historic sites. Thank you for choosing us, and we hope to welcome you back for another unforgettable New York City adventure soon!
I purchased two tickets here, and we met the “guide” at a nearby coffee shop. He was nice, and gave recommendations on what to see at Liberty & Ellis Island. Other than that, all he did was walk us through the gate to the ferry line. He did not come along. So we essentially paid double for a ferry ticket that we could have bought at the station
We’re truly sorry that your experience didn’t meet expectations. We understand how frustrating it must have been to feel that the tour structure was unclear and that you didn’t receive full guidance. Your feedback is very important, and we’ll use it to improve. Please reach out to our customer service team so we can review your booking and work toward making this right.
